Two finalists chosen in the search for Norco College’s new president were ousted as the leader of universities since mid-2015, according to news reports and school officials.

Craig Follins and Virginia Parras were removed from top posts at separate universities last year. Follins said Wednesday, Nov. 2, that his reassignment was due to his aggressive attempt to change school practices. Parras, whose expenses were questioned in news reports months after her departure, could not be reached for comment. She is hosting a forum on campus at 12:50 p.m. Thursday.

Norco College hired a recruitment firm to conduct a nationwide search to replace Paul Parnell, the school’s president from 2012 until January. Wolde-Ab Isaac, Riverside City College’s president and chair of the Norco College selection committee, said the top eight candidates were interviewed by school faculty, students and community members.

Isaac said a comprehensive vetting of a candidate’s work history generally occurs after the top candidate is selected.

“The committee tries to restrict itself to the information supplied (by candidates), and the information extracted from the question and answer,” Isaac said. “We don’t go into specifics of ‘we read this somewhere.’ It’s about key issues of running a college, of what we expect a president to be aware of, confronting complex problems.”

Follins said he served as president of Northeast Lakeview College in Texas from March 2014 to November 2015, when he was reassigned as special assistant to the district chancellor. Bruce Leslie, chancellor for the Alamo College District in which Follins worked, delivered a memorandum to Follins stating he had “violated expectations” and “engaged in a pattern of unacceptable behavior.” The memo does not provide further details.

Follins, currently living in Texas and teaching for The University of Phoenix, said his efforts to help the school get accredited may have displeased some. He added that his fast-paced approach and the changing atmosphere “weren’t a good fit for everyone.”

“There was a team in place prior to me being there, and things were done a certain way that wasn’t successful,” Follins said. “I had a style of coming in and holding people accountable. I guess people didn’t appreciate being held accountable.”

Follins said he signed an agreement with the school in November 2015, allowing him to stay with the university for a year while he searched for a new position. Until August, he had been working as the special assistant to the district chancellor, visiting institutions around the country and publishing research on distance education.

Follins said his work at Northeast Lakeview taught him the importance of researching prospective schools before taking a job. He said he would have examined that college’s history more thoroughly, “to make sure it was a situation I could add value to.”

Parras was let go as president of City College of San Francisco in August 2015, after one year in the post. In December, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the college reimbursed Parras for trips to China, Taiwan and Vietnam – as well as thousands of dollars in meals at high-end restaurants and purchases from Best Buy and Amazon – despite what some officials called shoddy record keeping that did not explain their necessity.

Guy Lease, the state-appointed special trustee overseeing the college, was quoted as saying Parras “really should have written this stuff down.”

Steve Bruckman, legal counsel for the school, said he could not comment on Parras’ employment history or the factors leading to her departure.

According to her online professional pages, Parras is running Parras Grande & Associated, LLC, a Houston-based company.

Each candidate, including Reece, Crafton Hills’ vice president , is set to host a community forum this month at Norco College.

The selection committee will continue to focus on the work history provided by the candidates, Isaac said, adding that it’s up to Human Resources to unearth possible malfeasance at previous positions.

Once the committee has selected a top candidate based on forum responses and other criteria, human resources will conduct a final round of background checks, Isaac said.

“If someone at a previous job has had undesired activity, it will come out, they can’t escape it,” Isaac said. “If there is other pertinent information about these candidates, I’m confident the background check and reference checks will weed that out.”

Monica Green has been serving as Norco College’s interim president. The Riverside Community College District, of which Norco College is part of, hopes to appoint a new president by year’s end.

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